The ancestry of the name Okey dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived near a notable oak tree or near a group of oaks. The surname Okey is derived from the Old English word ac, which means oak. The surname Okey belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.

Early Origins of the Okey family

The surname Okey was first found in Somerset where Oake is a village and civil parish that dates back to before the Norman Copnquest when it was listed as Acon in 897. The place was listed as Acha in the Domesday Book[1]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) and literally means "place at the oak trees" from the Old Englisk word "ac" [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)

Early History of the Okey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Okey research.Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1606, 1662, 1645, 1631, 1681, 1640, 1675, 1680, 1680, 1681, 1644 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Okey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Okey Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Okey have been found, including Oak, Oake, Oakes, Oke, Okes and others.

Early Notables of the Okey family (pre 1700)

Notables of the family at this time include John Okey (1606-1662), an English soldier, Member of Parliament, one of the regicides of King Charles I; Nicholas Okes (died 1645), an English printer in London, best remembered for printing works of English Renaissance drama including works by William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, John... Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Okey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Okey family to the New World and Oceana

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Okey, or a variant listed above:

Okey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Okey, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

John Okey, who landed in Maryland in 1666 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

Okey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Richard Okey, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857

Contemporary Notables of the name Okey (post 1700)

Thomas Okey (1852-1935), American expert on basket weaving, Italian translator, and a writer on art and the topography of architecture and art works in Italy and France, first professor in Cambridge University under the Serena Professor of Italian (1919)

Mark Okey, American former politician, Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives (2007-2010)

William Okey, American politician, Delegate to Ohio State Constitutional Convention from Monroe County, 1873 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

The Okey Motto

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Quercus robur salus patriaMotto Translation: The strength of the oak is the safety of our country.

^ Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html